So third time making bacon... got a nice 10# belly for $30... cut it into 3rd (width was about 8")... I stuck the thirds into a food save 2-3 gallon container...

They're all fully submerged but touching as they fill up most of the container... seems like liquid can still get in between them but I'm not entirely sure. Will they brine/cure OK like this or do I need to separate them into two containers... Or I can just rotate them around every couple days.

So third time making bacon... got a nice 10# belly for $30... cut it into 3rd (width was about 8")... I stuck the thirds into a food save 2-3 gallon container...

They're all fully submerged but touching as they fill up most of the container... seems like liquid can still get in between them but I'm not entirely sure. Will they brine/cure OK like this or do I need to separate them into two containers... Or I can just rotate them around every couple days.

So third time making bacon... got a nice 10# belly for $30... cut it into 3rd (width was about 8")... I stuck the thirds into a food save 2-3 gallon container...
They're all fully submerged but touching as they fill up most of the container... seems like liquid can still get in between them but I'm not entirely sure. Will they brine/cure OK like this or do I need to separate them into two containers... Or I can just rotate them around every couple days.

When using Pops brine/cure, It's pretty much an equilibrium brine.... that means the ingredients "soak" into the meat until the brine loses it's ingredients as the meat absorbs those ingredients until they become equal, in the brine and in the meat... that process takes time... a lot of time.... whereas, a rub, all the ingredients are already on or in the meat, and the equalization within the meat takes less time than the brine process....
So to answer your question, at least 15 days would be my recommendation for the brining time....

When using Pops brine/cure, It's pretty much an equilibrium brine.... that means the ingredients "soak" into the meat until the brine loses it's ingredients as the meat absorbs those ingredients until they become equal, in the brine and in the meat... that process takes time... a lot of time.... whereas, a rub, all the ingredients are already on or in the meat, and the equalization within the meat takes less time than the brine process....
So to answer your question, at least 15 days would be my recommendation for the brining time....

120 Ppm ingoing nitrite, skin off, in a brine, pumped, massaged submerged solution....... but.... that is the FDA/USDA recommended for commercial producers... Home producers aren't regulated...
I think it was set at that level because of the concerns of nitrosamines and cancer from high temp cooking.... Since then, I'm not sure if that "theory" was proven...
One more thing, as the temp increase above 130 ish degrees, nitrites are dissipated, somehow, to a level around 30-50 Ppm.... of course that depends on the starting nitrite concentration...

But it doesn't equalize 50/50 into the meat... the meat only absorbs so much... 10% on average, no? In which case, I should end up with ~ 78 PPM in my bacon.

I don't think that is correct.... In my opinion, as the liquid is adsorbed/absorbed into the meat tissues, the nitrite "acts" upon the meat... thus leaving the liquid deficient in nitrite and more is transferred from the outside solution back into the solution inside the meat...
Think of the meat as a molecular sieve and another substance that absorbs nitrite...

So, is my brine solution at a safe level? Per Pop's recipes/statements, the brine solution % is all that's important and not the weight of meat you'll be brining... If that's the case, then there has to be some limit into the amount of absorption.

! Method Two
The second method assumes that the submerged meat, meat byproduct, or poultry and the cover pickle act as a single system. Over time, the ingredients in the pickle, such as nitrite and salt, migrate into the meat, meat byproduct, and poultry until levels in the tissue and in the pickle are balanced. This system is actually very complex and dynamic, with components in constant motion, but it will reach and maintain a state of equilibrium. Therefore, the calculation for ingoing nitrite is based on the green weight of the meat block, using the percent added as a relevant amount.
< Calculation Formula (using the green weight and pickle weight)
lb nitrite × 1,000,000 = ppm green weight (lb) meat block + lb pickle
In immersion cured products, this formula can be used to determine:

(1) The permitted weight of nitrite, if you know the green weight of the meat block and the weight of the pickle solution.
(2) The minimum weight of the meat block that can be submerged in the cover pickle, if you know the weight of the nitrite and the weight of the pickle solution.
(3) Whether or not a procedure will be in compliance with the regulations, if you know the weight of the nitrite, the green weight of the meat block to be immersed, and the weight of the pickle solution.

Not trying to start another argument... thanks for your thoughts/opinions... I'm under the impression I will be within safe levels. I'll go ahead and let this go in the brine for ~10 days rotating the three pieces every couple days or so. Will post pictures once I remove/dry from the cure, add some pepper/garlic to the top and smoke em. And then maybe some more if I remember after cooking it!